As miserable as public transit is for us in the US, I could actually see this kind of deal succeeding in New York (and neighboring areas of Connecticut and New Jersey). Those in the city are constantly perplexed by the various county-run transit lines and costs, but some kind of single pass would actually make bus lines approachable to visitors (whereas they are only used by those who can't afford a car today).
Also, could this model be a response to a decline in ridership due to COVID? I don't know how these commuter lines fared in Europe, but I can only assume there were less folks traveling to a different area due to lockdown/remote work.
This ticket (in Austria specifically) is not a response to covid-19, it has been in the works by our green party for many years now (2013 I think) and negotiations for the country-wide ticket have finally been concluded.
Also, could this model be a response to a decline in ridership due to COVID? I don't know how these commuter lines fared in Europe, but I can only assume there were less folks traveling to a different area due to lockdown/remote work.